Month: January 2018
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The most anticipated blockbusters of 2018
With 2017 now behind us – and with it a fairly disappointing year for what we would call ‘blockbuster cinema’ both critically and at the US box office, it’s time to look ahead to some of the tentpole titles of the coming twelve months. With not one but two Marvel outings and yet another Star…
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Film Review: The Post
★★★☆☆ Censorship of the free press isn’t an invention of the Trump administration. In spite of the plumes of cigarette smoke, angry chattering of typewriter keys and now antiquated passage of information, which ground The Post in its milieu of early 1970s Washington DC, there are significant parallels to our own lamentable age of ‘fake…
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DVD Review: The Final Year
★★★☆☆ In Barack Obama’s final year in office, Greg Barker documents the US President’s team as they implement diplomacy and foreign policy before the clock runs out on the administration. But while Barker’s documentary is firmly focussed on the outgoing President, a tangerine-coloured menace looms increasingly large in the background. The Final Year is not…
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Film Review: Coco
★★★★☆ Coco – Pixar’s first non-sequel film since 2015’s The Good Dinosaur – delivers heartwarming storytelling and eye-catching visuals, all the while honouring the power of family and music. It’s set during Dia de Los Muertos – the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead – and tells of Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez), a 12-year-old boy who,…
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DVD Review: Kills on Wheels
★★★☆☆ Hungarian friends Zoli (Zoltán Fenyvesi) and Barba (Ádám Fekete) spend their days collaborating on a comic book at the disability centre where they live. But when they meet the dangerous yet intriguing Rupaszov (Szabolcs Thuróczy), all three of their lives take an unexpected turn. Inspired by his time volunteering at a disability centre, director…
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DVD Review: The Battle of Algiers
★★★★★ 1954, the height of the Algerian War. While the occupying French forces struggle to maintain control of the capital city, Algiers, Arab insurgents use guerrilla tactics to try to overthrow the French. Employing many of the techniques of Italian neo-realism, Gillo Pontecorvo’s stunning documentary-style features remains as starkly relevant now as ever. In the opening…
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Ocean’s 8: a crime of the times
There have been some great casino-based films over the years and they’re not just enjoyed by gamblers either. What’s very notable about these sorts of films is that they’re always gripping, especially with them usually leading the viewer on a rollercoaster ride of great highs, as well as dramatic lows. So which new casino films…
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Film Review: Early Man
★★★☆☆ Recalling the fantasy prehistoric romps of Hammer – light on historical accuracy, heavy on thrills – British animation institution Aardman return this year with Early Man, a bright if narratively bland caveman caper that effectively functions as Escape to Victory for the under-10s. Eddie Redmayne lends his voice to Dug, a nice-but-dim neanderthal leading…
